ANOTHER LIFE

CHAPTER 1

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The story begins

“The result from the tests carried out showed you are pregnant,” he announced with a wide smile. But the person he was talking to was far from listening. She was probably lost in thought, which made him worry. “Mrs. Adams?” he called out to her.

Lila  turned to face him, now aware of her surroundings. She gave a wry smile and apologized, “I am sorry. Please, what were you saying about the result? I didn't quite hear you.”

“You are three weeks pregnant, Mrs. Adams. Congratulations!” he repeated. But instead of showing excitement about the wonderful news, the woman in front of him looked shocked and confused.

“Pregnant?!” Her voice was barely a whisper, laced with disbelief. Dr. Neil nodded, his smile fading slightly as he studied her reaction.

Dr. Neil stretched out, handing the result paper to her. Immediately, her fingers trembled as she took it, her eyes skimming through the words that confirmed what she still couldn’t bring herself to believe. Tears blurred her vision. She read it again, hoping the words would somehow change but still, it remained same.

'Why now?' she asked herself, trying to overcome whatever she was feeling.

Dr. Neil, who noticed something wasn't right, leaned forward and asked, “Mrs. Adams, is there any problem?”

“Huh? No. Not at all. Thank you, doctor. I will be on my way now,” Hailey  said as she got up from her seat, not wanting to spend another minute there.

As she got to the door and held on to the knob, she turned, “Doctor Neil, please, do not tell my husband about the baby. I will break the news to him myself.” He nodded in response before she left, shutting the door behind her.

Dr. Neil, through what she said and how she was behaving, knew that something was wrong. He wondered if Lila had cheated with someone and was pregnant by that person.

“No, she is not that kind of woman. I trust her. But then, what could be the problem?”

Outside the hospital building, at the parking lot to be precise, Lila opened her car, got in, and let out a heavy sigh. Tears filled her eyes, and she didn't stop them from falling. Just three weeks ago, Adams had forced himself on her after returning home drunk.

She glanced at the envelope in her hand, her name boldly written on the front, mocking her. Slowly, she brought out the printed paper and read through it again, and didn't know what to feel. What could be the best reaction to such news? Was it to smile? Laugh? Shed tears of joy? Or scream and curse the universe for such bad timing?

Lila gaze shifted to the back seat, where the divorce papers she kept was in plain sight. She had been so sure and ready to end it all. She had planned to hand them to Adams. To finally free herself from the nightmare her marriage had become. But now… she was carrying his child. Their child. And it made her cry more, soaking the paper she clutched in her hands.

Minutes after breaking down, she wiped her tears and started the car engine. She already knew what to do. But the moment she drove away from the hospital, she noticed a van in her rearview mirror, following her. At first, she thought nothing of it, but as she continued driving, it became obvious that the van was tailing her.

“Who is that, and why is he following me?” She looked in the side mirror, but the car was tinted, making it difficult to see through.

Panic began to set in while  trying to put some distance between them. But no matter how much she sped up, the van stayed on her tail, mirroring her every move. And and she wasn't very good at driving fast herself. She immediately used one hand on the wheel and the other to find her phone.

Finding it while trying to focus on the road, she soon found her husband's number. The phone kept ringing, but there was no response only voicemails.

“For the love of God, pick up the damn call!” she yelled out in frustration.

The line was switched off when she tried again. Tears filled her eyes. But to escape, she had to think of a way out. Following the GPS map, she found out there was another route nearby, so she made a sharp U-turn.

For a moment, it seemed like she had lost them. The van was no longer in sight. She slowed down, her body sagging with relief. Then she tried this time to call her best friend Patricia.

Boom!

A car double-crossed her. While trying to dodge, her car hit a fence. Her sight became blurry, and she saw some men approaching the car. Due to the impact of the accident, she couldn't hear anything, but their lips were moving. She then recognized the van, and the men were armed.

One of the men, dressed in black, and masked, placed something over her nose. The smell was strong, and she soon fell unconscious.

Hours later, Lila woke up only to find herself in a dark room, tied up—hands and legs. Her hands were tied behind her back, making it impossible for her to move from the position she was kept in. Her mouth was sealed with duct tape. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. She kept wondering what they wanted from her. She looked around to see it was void of anything. Not even her bag was there.

Trying again to shift a bit, she winced as the pain increased. The ropes were too tight, and the place was dead quiet. It was as if she had been abandoned in the room to die.

Lila stayed in the dark room until night. She hadn't eaten or even had water all day. Her body became weak as she kept swallowing her saliva. Her tummy had been grumbling for hours, and her throat was completely dry.

“Bring her out!” a voice commanded. Hearing the deep, scary voice, Hailey opened her eyes to see a torch pointed in her direction, and two men were approaching. They were huge.

She was blindfolded. One of the men lifted Hailey  up like she was a feather.

At some point, Lila started hearing a familiar voice. She listened again and was sure she knew who it was.

“Walk faster.” The deep voice came from behind her. It was the same voice she heard in the room. That meant the man was following them too.

But it didn't concern her. The closer they got, the louder the voice of the woman became.

“Place her on the seat and take off the blindfold. I want to see the shock on her face,” the familiar voice said with so much excitement.

AUTHORESS NOTE:
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